Sweet Sweet Freedom
by SupaNinja4Evah
Summary: Kairi gets sent to boarding school by her parents, and finds friends and enemys when she arrives. Bands, cliques, late nights, pranks and high school romance! oh and an all guy's blitzball team..read to find out more...KairiXSora
1. Chapter 1

This is my first stab at a school story. I got tired of the hard angsty stuff. This is a bit more laid back. Let me know wut u think, flames accepted!

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Chapter 1

Kairi

I glared out the car window at the trees and houses rushing by. Everything was going wrong. I was being banished to boarding school after my parents got tired of dealing with me. Yup, they got tired of me. Dumped me onto someone else, they didn't want the responsibility anymore. You could say my family is a bit dysfunctional. I was more than pissed at them. They were making me give up connections with the few good friends I had, so now I had to go to a new school and make all new friends. Plus, I had to give up my ambition, blitzball. They didn't have a co-ed blitzball team at this school, only boys. Screw them.

I sighed as the chaperoned car turned down a long, winding driveway. In the back of my heart, I mean the very back, I was excited. Just a little bit. I was excited to have more freedom, to not have people breathing over my shoulder constantly. The responsibility to go where I wanted on weekends, and hang out with the people I chose. Maybe this boarding school thing wouldn't be that bad after all. Just maybe.

The magnificent school came into view. It was a huge, brick building with smaller brick buildings behind it. There was a large green lawn, with sidewalks and benches scattered everywhere. Students were mingling on the walkways, in front of the school, and on the grass. It looked like a place of pure peacefulness. Perfect, a bit too perfect.

All of a sudden there was a loud holler, and the car came to an abrupt halt. I jerked my attention out the windshield, and there was a tall boy with spiky blonde hair standing innocently in the road, holding a football. He grinned sheepishly as my driver swore out the window, and his friends laughed from the lawn. Suddenly, I was excited. People here were normal, not prissy and stuck up, like I feared they world be. I found myself excited to get into the school to meet my roommates and fellow students.

The irritated driver pulled into a small loop at the front of the school, and opened the door, storming over to the trunk. He opened it quickly and began throwing my luggage in the street. I climbed out of the car, and came around to where the driver was standing. "Do ya need any help with this shit?" he asked gruffly. I scowled. "No I think I can manage a backpack and duffel myself thanks," I responded, and picked up my stuff. Did this guy think I was weak or something? I was about 5'6 and thin, with shoulder length, layered red hair. I had cut it myself when I got fed up with the haircut my mom's stylist had given me. I thought it looked far better now. I waved the driver away enthusiastically, and began trudging towards the school.

As I passed people, some turned to look at me, curious expressions on their faces. I smiled as I passed a few, some smiled back. Others frowned, obviously snobby people are everywhere. I pulled open the huge oak doors at the front of the school, and walked into the air conditioned lobby, to the front desk. "Um, I'm new here. My name is Kairi Hakuna," I said uncertainly to the woman behind the counter. She smiled and handed me a handful of papers, and a key.

"Welcome Kairi. Here is your schedule and room number along with your key and some school guidelines and rules. Your roommates are Larxene and Selphie. They will help you get settled in. Your dorm is the one on the right, third floor, room 346. Floors 1 and 2 are boy dorms, and are off limits after 10 pm. If you have any questions, just come down here and I'll answer them for you." The woman smiled pleasantly, and I grinned in return. Even the people here were nice.

I walked back outside, hauling my duffel behind me. I found my dorm okay, and when I walked in, I was greeted with total chaos. There were people running around everywhere, guys in bathing suits and towels, girls in casual clothes and uniforms. People were lounging in the chairs that were stationed up front near the TV, and others were tossing a football across the room.

"Hey look it's a newbie!" I looked in the direction of the talker to see it was the same guy that had almost been hit by my insane driver. "Oh I know you! You're that girl with the pmsing dad!" He walked over, grinning.

"That's not my dad. Just some shitty driver my parents hired cuz they were to lazy to drive me. I'm Kairi." "I'm Tidus." Tidus held out a hand and shook my enthusiastically. "Do ya need help with that bag?" He asked politely. I smiled and shrugged. He picked up the duffel with little effort and glanced at the papers in my hand. "Oho you're roomin with Selphie. She'll be a blast!" Tidus said enthusiastically. Then he frowned. "Larxene though, I would watch out for her. Kind of rough around the edges if ya know what I mean," Tidus gave me a shifty eye and raised eyebrow as if to exaggerate his point. This guy is pretty cool. I decided I liked him. "Hey, Tidus, do ya think you could show me my room, since I have absolutely no idea where I'm going?" I asked timidly. Tidus grinned louder, and indicated the elevator. "Sure thing. Right this way!"

So we set off for the elevator. This was going to be an interesting day.

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So wut does everyone think? Give me feedback, flames accepted!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After many winding hallways and blank white doors, Tidus stopped. The door in front of him was labeled 346, and it looked like the many other doors we had past. I was beginning to think I was going to be really lost in this school. Tidus beamed at me, and knocked on the door. There was a flurry of movement heard from behind the closed door, and suddenly it swung open to reveal a tall girl with shoulder length brown hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in a tight yellow tank top, and torn jeans. Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw me.

"OH! You must be Kairi! I was so excited to meet you!" Before I could respond she had hugged me enthusiastically, grabbed my bag from Tidus and pulled me inside. Tidus chuckled and followed us through the doorway. The room was a good size, with 3 twin beds stationed in different areas of the room. There were clothes everywhere, and posters on the wall, and music blasting from a stereo. There in the corner bed sat a girl with sleek blonde hair, and hard blue eyes. She was slouched over in bed, typing on her computer, and hadn't even bothered to look up.

"Larxene! Kairi is here! Can' you at least have a little respect and say hi. You know it's not that hard!" Selphie said with mock irritation, and Larxene looked up at me, and smirked with a nod of her head. I smiled in return, and looked back at Selphie.

"Ok, your bed is over here next to the window. Your other stuff came last night, and I just left it alone figuring you wouldn't want me touching it." I nodded and made my way over to my bed, and slowly began unpacking.

"So, what do you do? Any fascinating sports or cool hobbies?" Selphie asked as she plopped down on the floor next to my bed. "Well… I played on a blitzball team for a while, and I surf. That's pretty much it.." Selphie's eyes lit up. "You play blitzball! That is so cool! I've always wanted to play that! Well, I guess it must be hard, you know having to hold your breath all the time, and having to do all that swimming, you know I'm probably to lazy to ever do something like that, its just—" "Selphie! You're talking her ear off! Shut it! I'm sure she knows that it's hard to play blitzball!" Larxene yelled from the corner. Selphie rolled her eyes and mock whispered to me, "She has a little something permanently shoved up her ass, don't mind her." I laughed quietly at this, and Larxene just shook her head and went back to typing on her computer.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously. Larxene looked up and replied, "It's an article I'm doing for my English term paper on the relations of kids that have been neglected and they're tendency to get in trouble as adults later on." I felt a pang in my heart at this, since it sounded kinda like my situation. "That sounds pretty intense. Do you want to be a researcher when you get older or something?" I asked, now interested. "Yeah…something like that. What are you majoring in?" Larxene asked. To tell you the truth, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I had always had an ambition for mechanics, and the study of how things work. "I want to do something with my hands. You know, building, deigning things, something like that." I replied honestly.

"Why are you people thinking about careers already! I'm just gonna worry about that when I get to college. Life is young, let's embrace it!" Selphie said while extending her arms at her sides, as if to embrace the room. Larxene snorted. "That's the deepest thing I've ever heard you say," she replied honestly. I felt happy now that I had gotten to know my roommates. Selphie seemed like the fun loving type, while Larxene was more serious, about both life and her future. It was an odd combination, but it worked.

I had a deep feeling of peacefulness as I finished unpacking my things.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3! this was actually really fun to type, i would have maken it longer but i think my hands would have fallen off. well tell me wut u think, and give me some suggestions if you have them... i decide to make yuffie the bad girl even though i love her..i just couldn thtink of anyone else at the spur of the moment...well enjoy...by the way-thank u to everyone who reviewed! it is MUCHO apreaciated----wow i AM a huge loser...oh well.

Chapter 3

"KAIRI! KAIRI! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!" _Come on Kairi, open your eyes…..no don't swing your arm…ahh! you're gonna hit her! "_OW! Kairi, what was that for?" _Idiot, why did you hit her?_ I groaned as I continued to argue mentally with myself. It was way too early to be waking up, and in case you didn't notice, I'm not much of a morning person. Not. At. All.

"Sorry Selphie….I don't really like being woken up..." I muttered as I rolled out of bed. It was my first day of classes, and I was dead nervous. Maybe everyone would hate me. Maybe I would say something stupid, or get lost, or in trouble. Wait, what was I saying, maybe, it was GOING to happen! "Hey….Kairi, you okay?" Selphie peered into my face anxiously. "You look like you're going to be sick." I took a shaky breath and nodded. "I'm fine; just nervous."

"Everyone is nervous on their first day here. It's pretty normal. Just make sure you don't let the "popular" crowd see you, or you will become their bait," Larxene sad calmly while puling on her shoes. "Comforting," I said sarcastically as I pulled out my uniform. It was a navy blue button down shirt that clashed magnificently with my dark red hair, and a short, white skirt that (thankfully) didn't have any pleats. On the skirt there was a cool design that started at the bottom and reached the pocket, with the school engravement woven in. Overall, it wasn't a bad outfit.

I walked into our bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth quickly, through on some eyeliner and mascara, and looked in the mirror, satisfied. This was as good as it was gonna get. "Kairi, lets go! We don't want to miss breakfast!" Selphie said impatiently, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet. I rolled my eyes and grinned, following her and Larxene out the door.

We made our way to the dining hall, which looked like a normal cafeteria, only a bit more homey, full of students in their uniforms getting food, and chatting with friends. Selphie immediately led me to a table near the window, at which Tidus and a few other people were sitting.

"Hey guys! This is Kairi, she's my new roommate! Kairi, this is Tidus, whom you've already met, and Wakka, Namine, Rikku, Yuna, and Tyson(BHK)," Selphie listed off the names of people and they nodded or smiled in return at me. Wakka was the tall muscular guy with red hair, Namine was a pretty girl with blonde hair and deep blue eyes, Rikku was a peppy looking girl with blonde hair and green eyes, Yuna looked quiet and reserved with black hair and unusual purple eyes, and finally Tyson, who was tall and muscular, with shaggy blonde hair that covered his eyes, which were a brilliant blue.

I smiled and sat down next to Selphie. She immediately jumped into a conversation with Namine.

"Did you here what Riku did last night? He jumper a teacher's car with his motorcycle, and another teacher saw it!" Selphie said enthusiastically. Namine shook her head. "What an idiot. One of these days he's gonna kill himself…..and I'm gonna laugh."

"Who's Riku?" I asked, curious. Namine turned to me. "He's only the most popular guy in the school," She raised her head to the ceiling dramatically before continuing, "Envied by all the guys, adored by all the girls, well almost all of them……" she turned to face me again, "He practically has the whole student body in the palm of his hand." I looked at her skeptically. "He can't be THAT great can he?" Namine rolled her eyes, and said, "Well, I'll let you answer that for yourself." She indicated behind me, and I turned to look.

There, entering the dining hall, was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. He had shoulder length silver hair, and bangs that hung in his eyes hotly. Well, just about everything about him was hot. His heart shaped face was flawless, with aquamarine eyes, and lips planted in what looked like a permanent smirk, he was a god sent to earth. He walked with a graceful confident motion, and it seemed as though the world stopped as he strutted down the aisle. I noticed that many other girls had stopped what they were doing and had turned to look at him. I guess I could understand.

_Man, no wonder this guy is so popular. _Behind Riku, there were 3 guys, and a small group of hopeful looking girls. One guy had shaggy brown hair, and cold blue eyes, another had spiky blonde hair that hung in his eyes, which were both mysterious and captivating. The third guy had gravity defying chocolate brown hair, and startling blue eyes. His face was handsome, and there was no doubt in my mind he would be hotter withought the supreme god of hotness right in front of him. He had a playful look on his face, like he had some permanent joke playing over and over in his head. That was probably due to the fact that all the girls around his friend were swooning. Not….that I was…one of them….of course. Right?

The group sat down at a table near by, and began eating their breakfast. It seemed suddenly as if everything had gone back to normal. I felt like I was in a movie with a pause and play button. Someone had just pressed play.

I felt a playful shove in the arm. I turned back to Namine and Selphie, to see they were smirking. "He---hes not that great….I mean…" I desperately tried to hide my embarrassment. Namine and Selphie grinned wider, and I let out a defeated sigh.

"Okay, so I guess I can see why he's so popular. Who were the guys behind him?" Selphie gave me a satisfied grin and replied, "Well, the one with the shaggy brown hair is Leon, basically like Riku's bodyguard. He's pretty quiet, and kinda rough. The one with the blonde hair is Cloud. He is pretty cool, Tyson is good friends with him. The other one is Sora. He's like next hottest guy in school to Riku. He's also his best friend. Those two are practically inseparable. I'm in like 4 classes with Sora, and about 3 with Riku. They always work together on projects and stuff. Sora is really cool, once you break his shell. At least that's what Tidus told me."

"Tidus is friends with them?" I asked, a plan formulating in my head. "Tidus is friends with everyone. He's a floater. But his best bud is Wakka."

"Somebody say my name?" Tidus said, turning to us. "We were just talking about how you're friends with _everybody_. Mr. Social," Selphie said teasingly. Tidus grinned widely and said, "It's cuz I'm so damn hot and charming. Can't keep them away!" We all laughed at this, and Tidus stood up. "I'll be right back. I gotta ask Sora something. See you losers later," he grinned one last time before heading off to the 'popular' table.

I sighed heavily and took out my schedule. "Hey, do either of you have any classes with me? I'm not quite sure where to go…" I said uncertainly. Selphie took my schedule and examined it with Namine peering over her shoulder.

"Hey! You have social sciences with me! And then you have math right next to my English room, so I could show you where that is," Namine said enthusiastically. "Then gym, and art… Hey Tyson, don't you have art fourth?" She said turning to Tyson. He looked back from his conversation with Wakka and nodded. "Yeah, I could show you where that is if you want," he said, looking at me. "Thanks. Glad to know I won't be wondering around aimlessly all day," I said, relieved. Tyson grinned. "Oh don't worry. If you got lost, there's only 3 buildings you could be in. It would only take you about 3 class periods to find your way back," he joked. My eyes widened, and I felt the familiar feeling of nerves in my stomach.

Suddenly an obnoxious bell rang through the hall. Everyone began standing up and packing up their things. I stood up too, and grabbed my bag. Namine motioned for me to follow her, and we headed out the door and over to the main building.

"So, Kairi, what brings you to this fine school?" Namine asked as we walked across the lush grass. "Well…." I hesitated, unsure of how to word it, "My parents kind of….had some problems…..and they thought it would be better to send me here, you know, for my wellbeing." _Good, that's a good lie. Stick with that._ Namine nodded.

"Yeah, my parents know the founders. They thought it would be a good self assurance builder or whatever." I laughed. So maybe my parents weren't' the only ones with crazy ideas.

We headed into the main building, and followed the tide of students up to the third floor. There, Namine showed me the classroom that would be my new social sciences room. I cautiously followed her inside, and took a seat near the back, with her, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice me.

BRIIINNNNG! The obnoxious bell rang again. Everyone hurried to their seats. The teacher walked in; she was fairly old, with salt and pepper hair, and a hideous purple dress. Her pointy black shoes made an annoying click click across the floor as she walked. She sat down at her desk and peered over her reading glasses at the class.

"I see we have a new student, Kairi, welcome," the teacher said in an old shaky voice. I felt my face heat up as everyone turned around to stare at me. I smiled cornily, and sank lower into my desk. Suddenly, however, the spotlight was adverted from me to the front of the class as the door swung open.

And in walked the god himself. Followed by Sora of course.

"Sorry we're late," Riku said in a smooth, deep voice. I swear a few girls in the class fainted. "We got…held up with another teacher. You don't mind of course?" He continued, as he surveyed the class. The teacher frowned, and said pointedly, "If this happens again, you'll be after class scraping gum off the desks." A few girls gasped at the thought of Riku having to get his precious hands dirty. I heard Namine snicker beside me.

Sora stood silently behind Riku, looking slightly irritated at not being noticed at all. It seemed as though Riku hogged the spotlight a little to much for his liking. Riku made his way casually over to an open seat, which just happened to be right next to mine. I thought I would die in my own embarrassment. Man, I really am pathetic over this guy. Sora sat down grumpily behind me.

Class started as normal, the teacher began lecturing us on something completely pointless, and didn't pay any attention to the back of the class. I lazily got out my notebook, and began some pointless drawing/doodle on the page. It was a dog with clothes. How lame am I?

"Hey, that's pretty cool. Did you make that up?" I heard that lovely smooth voice next to me. I felt like I could die. I slowly turned to face the god and heard myself mutter a meager, "Uh—uh huh.." _Wow, he is sooo beautiful. Even more up close. His eyes, they are so perfect, and his nose, aww he has such a cute nose..and his hair…..I want to touch it…NO stop it Kairi! Snap out of it, SNAP OUT OF IT! _BONK! I felt something hard collide with the back of my head. I spun around angrily to see Namine smirking at me.

"Hey Kairi, don't drown in your drool," she whispered. I rolled my eyes, and sank back into my chair, determined not to look at the person next to me. Suddenly I felt a gentle prod of a finger in my shoulder. I glanced at the teacher, and turned around slowly.

My eyes came in contact with a pair of stunning blue ones. They were even more beautiful than Riku's. Sora was looking intently at me, his face curious.

"Hey are you new here?" he asked quietly. I nodded, feeling flutters in my stomach. Sora leaned back and grinned, "Cool." I smiled back. _He's pretty cute…_ Suddenly I heard the sound of that horrid bell. I groaned and turned back around to gather my things. I looked around to notice a girl with short black hair glowering at me. She walked up to Sora quickly and muttered something in his ear. I heard him protest, but she must have done something because he shut up immediately. I watched helplessly as he trudged out the door behind the girl, closely followed by Riku.

"You are so falling for him! I can totally tell," I heard Namine say behind me. I turned to her in a daze, and without thinking said, "Which one?" I could have kicked myself. She grinned wider and said, "Both you loser! But watch out for Yuffie," she said indicating the black haired girl. "She can be kinda territorial. I wouldn't get in her way if I were you. She could make your life here a living hell." This should be interesting….


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"WE HAVE SO MUCH HOMEWORK! What is WRONG with our teachers? They think we don't have a LIFE or something," I vented angrily to Tyson on my way to gym with him. There had only been three periods so far, and already I had so much homework I would be doing it all night.

"Get used to it Kairi," Tyson said with a grin. We stepped into the large gym, and I saw about 20 people shooting hoops or talking to friends. "The girl's locker room is over there," Tyson said, pointing, "You're gym uniform should be in the locker that's on your schedule." He walked off to the boys locker room.

I hesitantly made my way into the locker room. There were about 10 girls, chatting happily as they pulled on their uniforms. I slipped into the corner of the room, and opened my new locker. There sat a pair of purple shorts, and a dark gray shirt with the school logo on it. I hesitantly pulled it out, and began undressing.

"Hey, you must be that new girl right?" I heard behind me. I spun around on the spot, and fell over, becoming entangled with my half on shorts._ Smooth you idiot. Now everyone is gonna think you're such a dork. Wait, I am a dork, but nobody needs to know!_ "Yeah that's me," I muttered as I stood up. The girl who spoke to me was tall, with long brown hair that was tied into a pink bow. She was stunning, with green eyes, and a graceful air about her.

"I'm Aerith," she introduced herself. "Kairi," I said. Suddenly, another girl appeared behind Aerith. She had short, black hair and big purple eyes. Her face was angry, and her voice sharp.

"Aerith, why are you talking to that new freak. She's friends with Namine; she probably already has the ugly wiped off on her," Yuffie said harshly. Aerith turned and glared at her. Before I could stop myself I said, "Well at least Namine doesn't have a growth problem." Well, it was true! Yuffie was about the size of an eight year old.

Yuffie glared viciously at me, while the other girls in the room had stopped moving altogether. "You won't here the end of this bitch," Yuffie growled before storming out of the room. Aerith looked sorry for me, as she turned to follow Yuffie out the door. Chatter resumed as usual as I pulled on the rest of my uniform.

"You're really brave! I can't believe you did that! It was brilliant." I looked up to see a geeky looking girl with an annoying voice staring at me. "Nobody has ever done that before!" I nodded and continued pulling on my shoes. The girl kinda looked awkward when I didn't give her a word answer, and slowly walked away, waving uncertainly. Wew…that was close. I really didn't want some wannabe following me around, I know it was mean but still!

I walked out of the changing room alone, and saw Tyson standing over next to Riku and Sora. I uncertainly walked over to them, I mean it was better than standing alone.

"Hey Kairi. You've met Riku and Sora right?" Tyson asked casually when I reached them. I nodded and pulled at the hem of my short shorts. Honestly. I am such a nerd around guys. I get all quiet and shit.

"Yeah, you're in our social science class right?" Sora asked conversationally. I nodded, and Riku suddenly looked as though his brain had had an aha moment. "Oh yeah!" he said enthusiastically, man was he hott when he's enthusiastic, "You're that girl who had that cool drawing. It was really good, my drawings look like scribbles." He—he just complimented _me!_ Man, it's a good day. I felt my face heating up, and I smiled without looking at him.

"OKAY OKAY! Everybody LISTEN UP!" It was our teacher. He was tall and blonde, with a gruff, football player look about him. "My name is Cid, and today we are running 3 miles(the class groaned), and I don't want to here any of this complaining shit….if ya have a problem, take it out with the man upstairs." A few kids laughed. I liked this teacher. He said it like it was, and he was cool. I even found myself getting excited at getting to run 3 miles. I loved running, and I was sure I would get a good time.

We lined up at the edge of the woods, where the path would be. "Hey Kairi, you don't even think about waiting for me when I get started, because I suck at running," Tyson said. I laughed. "Come on, you can't be that bad!" Tyson looked like he would be sick. "Oh yes I am. You should run with Sora if you want a challenge. He's the fastest person in our grade(we were juniors)." I blushed._ Run with Sora? Could be fun…._

WISTLE WISTLE WISTLE(sorry I dunno how to make a whistle sound…) We all took off running. All the stupid people started sprinting off into the woods, thinking they could actually finish at that pace. Yeah, sure. I just kept going at my steady pace. I could see Sora running a few steps ahead of me as we entered the first turn. Soon, I couldn't here the pounding of footsteps behind me anymore, and I had passed all the sprinters, who were now walking. It was just me and Sora, alone, in the woods.

I sped up a bit to catch up with him, and he turned to face me. He grinned as his hair bounced up and down on his head with each step. "Do you run cross country?" he asked as we ran along. "I used to," I responded. _1,2,1,2,1,2, Hott, Sora, Hott, Sora, HOTT SORA!_ I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts. We continued running in silence for a while, before Sora said again, "So how do you like this school?" I thought about it. "Yeah I guess its okay. The people here are nicer than my old school, and I don't have my shitty parents to worry about," I answered. I saw Sora's mile waver for a minute but thought nothing of it. "How long have you been going here?" I asked. He mock counted on his fingers. "Like, 4 years. Since 8th grade." Wow, he's been here a long time.

I could feel the burning in my legs as we trekked up a huge hill. I leaned forward a bit to keep my pace up. Sora next to me appeared to be working just as hard, his face twisted in concentration. Once we reached the top of the hill, we immediately began going down. During this break Sora said, "Have you met my cousin, Yuffie yet?" Cousin? Yuffie was Sora's cousin? Did not expect that. "Yeah, I've met her. It wasn't exactly friendly. What does she have against me anyway?" I asked, my anger rising.

"Well, um, she has a problem with Namine, I guess, and so she hates anyone who is friends with her," He responded. I could tell he was mad about Yuffie not treating me right, and it made me feel good to know he at least cared. "Yeah Yuffie is a bit of a bitch when she wants to be," he said with a grin. "But when you get passed all that, she isn't so bad…" I frowned. I guess I hadn't gotten past all that.

_In, out, in, out, breath, Yuffie, breath, equals, breath, bitch, breath, WUT IS WRONG WITH HER, breath. _I struggled to keep my breathing steady as we entered the last half mile. "You're really fast,", Sora said, looking at me. I grinned. "Race YA!" I took off, focusing all my strength on the opening at the end of the trees. I heard Sora's pounding footsteps behind me, no next to me, _run faster, run faster!_ I pushed myself to the limit of my sprinting, and burst through the trees with Sora right next to me.

Cid, who was standing there with a timer looking bored, jumped up and pressed the stop button on the timer. "Holy shit, you two just broke the record," he said aghast. I turned to Sora, ho had collapsed on the ground next to me, and we grinned at each other.


	5. Chapter 5

HEY EVERYBODY! THANK U SO MUCH REVIEWERS! i would give each of you a personal note but my mom is making me get off the computer in 5 minutes so i dont have time. THANKS SO MUCH FOR REVIWING THOUGH! supaninja4eva

HERES CHAPTER 5!

Chapter 5

"YOU BEAT SORA?" "Tied with him, Selphie." "YOU TIED WITH SORA?" "For like the bajiliianth time, yes." "OH MY FUCKING GOD KAIRI, you must be wicked FAST!" I rolled my eyes. We had been over this like ten times. Selphie just couldn't get over it. Apparently, Tyson had not been lying when he said Sora was the fastest kid in school. The two of them had both pulled roughly 5 minute miles in gym the other day.

News had traveled fast about the amazing new girl who could run like the wind. I now had the annoying cross country coach on my case, as well as Selphie and half the school. Things had not gone over well with Yuffie, however. When she discovered that Sora and I spent nearly 15 minutes in the woods together, _alone_, she began hating me even more. Now, every time I saw her, which was way to often considering she was in almost all of my classes, I had to put up with her mistrusting glares and angry words.

This also created a problem with me getting to talk to Sora. I really was interested to get to know him better, but Yuffie wouldn't have it. Honestly, I couldn't figure out why she hated me so much. Or Namine, for that matter.

It was at the end of 4th period, the last class I had with Selphie before lunch. I was headed to gym, with some sort of anxiousness floating through me. I wasn't sure what Yuffie would do to me when I got to the locker room, I mean I didn't exactly have any girl-friends to back me up while I was in there, and I had a feeling Yuffie would be beyond pissed at my so called attempt to steal Sora from her.

With the anxiety growing, I stepped into the girls locker room, crept over to my locker, and opened it slowly, hoping to not be seen by the bitch. "Oh, it's you again." To late. I turned slowly to face her, as she stood there still in her school clothes, her hands on her hips, and her eyes blazing.

"You must think you're pretty awesome, beating the school record with Sora," she said in a menacingly calm voice as she slowly walked over to me. "Well, that's kinda an unfair question if you ask me," I responded. Yuffie raised her eyebrows. "How so?" "Well, you asked me if I was proud of beating the school record with Sora. So if I say no, I wasn't, it would make it seem as though it is so easy, and that Sora sucks at running. But, if I were to say yes, I am proud of myself, it would make you mad because it would seem as though I was rubbing it in your face that I can run faster than you. So, my answer is no answer." I sucked in a deep breath as I watched Yuffie's mouth open and close, the gears in her brain working furiously. Without another word, she turned and stomped off to the other side of the locker room.

I smiled smugly, and pulled my gym uniform on. And, without another word to anyone in the room, I hurried out into the gym.

"Ahh if it isn't my super track runner!" exclaimed Cid when I came into view. He already had Sora by the arm, who was looking genuinely uncomfortable to be that close to his teacher. I smiled, and Cid waved me over. When I reached hi, he shoved a bunch of boxes in my arms, and even more in Sora's. "Because you two actually ran your mile yesterday and made an effort, ya don't have to run today. Instead, you get to organize my files! All those other bitches get to run today, and believe me, they are gonna run!" Cid continued to grumble, and walked away. I looked at Sora. He looked happy to not have to run, the exact feeling I was having. He shrugged his shoulders and we both preceded out into the shaded lawn to organize the boxes.

"Sora, can I ask you something?" I asked as we sat down on the grass. He looked up. "Sure, what's up?" "Well…….I was wondering what Yuffie had against me, and Namine….I mean, she's been nothing but horrible to me and all of my friends, and I don't think I did anything but breath!" Sora looked troubled, before saying, "Its none of your business ok! There is nothing to do with you, so butt out. Just stay out of Yuffie's way for now, you don't have to be friends with everyone!" Sora said, his eyes blazing.

I scowled back at him before spitting out, "Sorry I care about the friendship f others. Sheesh, I didn't know it was that personal. I'm new here remember? It's not like I came equipped with all the school stories!" With that, I stood up, and pulled up a few boxes of files, and walked over to a tree on the other side of the lawn. I looked back to see Sora sitting there, his hands in his lap helplessly, staring at the ground with hurt and confusion and guilt on his face.

I felt bad about spouting off at him, but jeez, I didn't even do anything! I continued to rummage through the files as before, pulling out random ones and placing in alphabetical order. I paused when I came across Riku Himaro. There was his class picture, his face painted in a permanent smirk, his eyes gleaming. It said n his record that he was the captain of the boys blitzball team. Hmmm. The gears in my brain began working frantically, as I rummaged through more files till I came to a flyer with the information on the blitzball ring, and practices.

One hour later, I sprinted back to the locker room after delivering the files to Cid, who kept me late rambling about bad runners. I knew for sure I would be late for lunch at this rate. I stopped at my locker, and wrenched open the door. There sat my clothes, sopping wet, and a note placed below them.

_Kairi,_

_This is a warning to you. You better leave Sora alone, because trust me, if you don't, I will make your life a living hell. I won't let you hurt him the way your friend Namine has._

_Got it?_

_Yuffie_

I growled in frustration. What did she mean Namine had hurt Sora? And why was she taking it out on me! I sighed and pulled out the nasty clothes, and left them in the shower hanging to dry. I didn't have time to go back to my dorm to get new clothes, or else I would miss lunch. And I was wearing a pair of super short shorts(cuz the guy had given me a size 3 short, and I was a 4 loooong) and an ugly school shirt. I sighed, and ran out the door in my gym clothes.

When I reached the dining hall, I sucked in a breath and pulled open the door. I hurriedly looked around for Selphie and my other friends, and when I spotted them I ran over the to them as quickly as I could. I heard woops and cat calls as I made my way across the room. I blushed, stupid short shorts!

"Hey Kairi, why are you still wearing your uniform?" Selphie asked. "Who cares, she looks hott in it!" came Tidus' call from across the table. "My clothes got stuck under the shower by miss Yuffie. She was mad at me for outsmarting her." I said, embarrassed. Namine narrowed her eyes. "This means war…" she said menacingly. So we began planning.


	6. Chapter 6

I FINALLY UPDATED! YAY um yeah it might not make much sense cuz i havent written in a while, but it gets better i promise. so r&r!

That night, me and Namine sat in our dorm, working on homework. The stupid Social Studies teacher made me write a 4 page essay on the death of Ben Franklin. Um, who? Isn't he the retard who put a key at the end of a kite and got electrocuted? Whatever. I sighed heavily and laid down on the floor, blowing my bangs out of my face. Namine looked up and laughed.

"That bad huh?" Namine asked. "Uh huh…" She laughed. "Lets go get some dinner, " I said, while standing up and slipping on my slipper/shoes things (A/N you know those Steve madden slipper things with a lift that EVERYONE has that I want reallllyyyyyy badly? Yeah those) Namine slid on her flip flops and we headed down to the cafeteria. When we got there, we found about 30 students milling around, getting dinner, and talking leisurely. We grabbed some grub and headed over to where Selphie was sitting with Wakka, a red haired blitzball player.

"NO! My jump rope can totally kick your bliztball's ass!" Selphie exclaimed, waving her hands around madly. Wakka looked at her and shook his head. "Nah man," he said in his Jamaican accent, " Blitzball's are way better dude." Selphie, who saw us, ignored him completely.

"Hey! Namine! Kairi! Over here!" She yelled, even though we were standing at the head of the table. No duh Selphie. But that's why I love her. We sat down, and Wakka leaned forward.

"Hey I heard you and Sora got in a fight today yah?" He asked. I sighed. Was nothing in this school confidential?

"Yeah, well Sora is stupid. He needs to go die," I muttered, while stabbing my broccoli. Wakka laughed. Suddenly I remembered my evil plan.(A/N-yes I know nobody knows what the evil plan is….u will find out..)

"Hey Wakka, you play on the blitzball team right?" I asked. He nodded and puffed out his chest proudly. "Yup, I'm the best defense that team has ever seen," he boasted. I nodded intently.

"I've played blitzball since I was four," I said. Wakka raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Never met a girl who was that focused on it yah," he said. "You should come practice with us, man."

I smirked evilly. "Yeah….that would be great," I said. We finished our dinner with some idle chitchat….scratch that I sound like a grandmother….and were getting up to leave. As I walked out of the cafeteria, I bumped into the person I was least excited to see, Yuffie.

"Watch where you're going new girl," she said snobby like. I glared at her, and pushed past her quickly, and walked out into the cold, fresh air.

"God! I hate that girl so much! GAH," Namine ranted, pulling her light blonde hair. "Why does she hate you so much?" I asked casually. Namine's face immediately grew cold.

"I don't want to talk about it. But god! You didn't do anything! ARGH!" We walked back towards the dorm in silence. I was so glad it was Thursday, because that meant tomorrow was Friday, the start of the weekend! YAY! Ok…I'm defiantly going psycho.

By morning, Namine's anger seemed to have escaladed, so much that when she got up in the morning she chucked our alarm clock halfway across the room, smashing it pieces. She then proceeded to rip everything out of her dresser, pull on the ridiculous school uniform, and storm out the door with a "later". Paine just sat up in bed, and shook her head.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. By nighttime, I was ready to just crawl into bed and sleep until Monday. Of course, Wakka just had to stop by and ruin my antisocial evening.

"Yo man, get on your bathing suit. Me and the guys are gonna practice a little bit," he said as he burst through the door without knocking.

"Eh. I feel like sleeping," I said as I rolled over in bed. The next thing I knew, the blankets were being ripped from my bed, and I was in the strong arms of Tidus, being hauled out the door.

"Eek! Put me down, jerkaziod!" I yelped. Tidus laughed and dropped me to the floor. "Jerkaziod?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I glared at him, and ran back into my room, and slammed the door. I quickly dug out the first bathing suit I came across, a red polka dot 2 piece. Whatever. I pulled it on and grabbed a towel and dashed out the door.

"About time!" Tidus exclaimed. I muttered a "shut it" and began walking quickly down to the elevator, Wakka and Tidus right behind me. When we reached the huge dome that was the blitzball arena, I saw 2 other guys standing there. Riku and Cloud both sported matching team swim trunks, six packs and all. I could have DIED.

Tidus laughed at my pathetically shocked face, and patted me roughly on the back. "You ready?" he said. "Yeahhhhh," I said pathetically.

After Wakka and Tidus got in their trunks, we all dived into the dome. I sighed as I plunged into the cool water(and I know u cant sigh underwater but whatever). When I rose to the surface all the guys were in the middle of the dome. I swam over quickly.

"You do offense or defense?" Tidus asked as he flipped the blitzball up in the air.

"Offense," I said. "Ok, Wakka and Kairi will be one team, and me and Riku will be the other, and Cloud, you can take over the goal like usual," Tidus instructed. Cloud nodded silently. "I'm, usually offense but I need to work on my blocking so Riku, you can be defense," Tidus said. Riku nodded, and glanced at me smirking. Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush! I mentally scolded myself when I felt my face heat up. I looked away as we all got in our positions. Wakka through the ball up as me and Riku got face to face, and throwing myself up into the air, I snatched it.

Wakka dropped back to his position, and we all plunged underwater. Being a blitzball player meant you had to have a lot of lung control, and be able to hold your breath for long periods at a time. I was the master of that. I swam quickly towards the goal, where Cloud drifted lazily. Riku was hot on my tail as I pushed the ball quickly. Suddenly Tidus appeared out of no where, and I dodged him quickly. I made a beeline for the goal, when suddenly there was a sharp tug on my leg. I flung backwards a few feet, over Riku's head as he smirked triumphantly, snatching the blitzball, and taking off towards the opposite end.

I briefly saw Cloud spring out of the water and race to the other goal to guard it as Riku swam quickly. I angrily chased after him, catching up quickly, and just as I reached out, he shot up and out of the water, me close on his heals. No way was he getting away.

Riku splashed out of the water and his wet silver hair flipped up as he attempted to leap over me. I shot up after him, and snatched the blitzball from his arms. But he held tight. O god, he held on tight. We both went tumbling back into the water, each clutching the blitzball, spinning quickly towards the bottom. I turned sharply upwards, yanking the ball with me, and Riku as well. He followed me as I launched upwards, and with another sharp dive, he was forced to let go. I shot off at breakneck speed, towards the goal. Riku chased after me, and just as I was about to shoot, he dived onto my back, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me downwards.

I pushed him off me and shot up to the surface. As my face broke the water, I let out a yell.

"CHEATER! YOU CAN"T HOLD ONTO ME!" I cried as Riku broke the surface. He laughed, sweeping the hair out of his eyes. I felt myself smiling too, as the rest of the guys appeared at the surface.

"You are pretty good, ya," Wakka said shaking the hair out if his eyes like a dog. Tidus nodded. Suddenly Cloud hollered, "10:30 pm. We gotta go before they turn out the lights!" That's when the chaos began. We all ran around, grabbing towels and shows, and putting the equipment away.

As I was walking out the door 5 minutes later, I heard somebody jog up behind me. I turned around and immediately blushed. It was Riku. His hair was messy from him rubbing it with his towel, and his green eyes glowed in the dark, giving him a wild, dangerous look. His shirt clung to his body with water, and his towel was draped around his neck.

"You're pretty good," he said in his deep, amazingly sexy voice. God, pull yourself together, Kairi. "For a girl of course," he added.

"Hey! Who says girls have to suck at sports!" I shot back, fuming. Riku let out a laugh. "I was just kidding," he said, ruffling my hair. I swatted his hand away, and shook my bangs back into place. I saw my dorm looming up in front of me, and I turned to Riku.

"You're not half bad yourself, for someone who needs "just for men", of course," I said before walking off. Riku let out a "hey!" and I laughed. Of course, he defiantly did not need to use "just for men" because his amazingly amazing silver hair did not look in any way old and ugly, like the guys on the commercial. It looked so soft, and beautiful…and well, I'll just stop there.

I laughed quietly to myself as I walked up the stairs to my dorm.


	7. Chapter 7

_this chapter is a bit depressing? i guess. i felt this story needed more angst to be truely successful. go figure. i think i really just got jealous of my kairi character---i mean shes popular and loved! haha wow. im jealous of my OWN character. i will fix that next chapter i promise...now that i figured out how stupid i sounded. ok...so thanks to reviewers! love ya all!_

I never thought that boarding school could be this…..crazy. And amazing. And so full of freaking HOMEWORK! Gah. I've become a library hermit. A pathetic hermit that throws ink filled paper at anyone who approaches her lonely little desk in the lonely little corner, next to the abandoned historical fiction. Bite me.

I must have been missing for quite a while in the library, because right when I was putting the polishing touches on my English Final Paper(written in capitols to represent its dignity.), I heard a deep, and somewhat timid voice.

"Um, Kairi?" Without even looking up, I launched one of those deadly ink filled balls of tree bark at my rude intruder. "Wah! What was that for?"

"Leemealone," I muttered impatiently as I furiously scratched out a misused adjective. I felt the persistent being sit down next to me at my wobbly little table, and watched me curiously as I piled all my papers together.

"Done!" I exclaimed happily, tossing my pen in the air, only then to glance at the person next to me. "Oh, hey Roxas(A/N incase I forgot to include this last chapter, Tyson or BHK has become Roxas, since apparently that's his "real" name. whatever.)"

"Stressed out much?" Roxas asked, a smile on his face at my insanity. I looked at him as I rested my head on my arms. "No," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes, before grinning back. "So what have u been up to?" I asked as I began packing up my stuff, and stood up. Roxas stood up next to me, and shrugged.

"Looking for you, mostly." Me? He was looking for me? I feel so popular. Cough.

"Why?" I asked as we made our way (finally!) out of the library. "Well, tonight a bunch of us are going to hit the beach, and we wanted you to come with us. You know, if you want to…" he trailed off. I beamed. I LOVE the beach. Yay! "Yeah sure I'll come!" I replied grinning.

"Great, meet me in the student parking lot at 5ish. Namine is going too, so she can show you if you want."

I nodded, and waved to him, before walking away happily. When I reached my dorm, I realized that it was already 4:20. Yeah, thanks for the early invitation Roxas, I thought, before jumping in the shower.

_About 20 Minutes Later…_

"Kairi! You in here?" Namine called in the room. "Yeah!" I hollered from my position in front of the bathroom, as I applied my mascara. Why I was wearing mascara to the beach, I dunno. Namine walked into the room, and began throwing stuff out of the cabinets.

"OW! Hey watch it!" I cried out as a bottle of perfume hit my head, making be smudge my stupid mascara. I grabbed a tissue, and began dabbing off the damage.

"O geez, sorry Kairi! I was looking for my sunscreen," Namine said, as she continued digging. "Sunscreen? Namine, its going to be dark! You don't need sunscreen!" I said as I stood back from the mirror to examine my fabulous makeup job. Eh, whatever.

Namine looked confused for a second, and then laughed. "OOO yeah. Haha." She walked out of the bathroom quickly. I followed her, and went to my dresser, where I began my search for a bathing suit.

"So who's coming tonight?" I asked casually as I examined my bathing suits closely. "Umm, well Roxas, and Tidus, and I think Wakka, as well as Selphie and Aeris," Namine said, as she pulled on her green bathing suit.

"What are we going to do?" I asked as I finally found a bathing suit. Success! It was a cute purple two piece with white hibiscus on it, with a skirt thingy to match. "Well, we are having a bonfire, and then swimming of course, with smores!" she finished excitedly, clapping her hands. I laughed at her excitement.

"Sounds great! Ready to go?" We both dashed out of the dorm room, and down to the student parking lot, where we found everyone waiting by a huge van. An ugly, white van with rust stains. This is a van that desperately needed "Pimp My Ride". I laughed as I thought of the foolish show.

"Who's car is this?" I asked. Roxas timidly put his hand in the air. "It fits everyone!" he defended, patting the car proudly. Weirdo. We all climbed into Roxas' big van, which was surprisingly comfortable and roomy on the inside. As we drove through the beach country, or whatever it is they call it out there(A/N I live in New England, where the only beaches are freezing, and typically surrounded by snow and big tall trees). We wove our way through the winding roads, and just as my butt was getting sore, Roxas pulled to a stop at a beach.

This beach was on the opposite side of an alcove that had small shops and restraints, where there were no pesky tourists. The sky was bright with the setting sun, and the water looked wonderful and clear. We all piled out of the car, with our towels and food in tow. I eagerly set up my towel in the middle of the little beach, pulled off my sweatshirt and skirt, and made a mad dash for the water.

I splashed my way into the warm, sparkling water enthusiastically, and dove under. When I came up, I turned to see everyone standing there laughing. I stood up, with water dripping off my legs and hair.

"What?" I asked, as I waded out of the water towards the group. "Excited to get in weren't you?" Roxas asked laughing. I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe," I said, sitting down on the towel.

The rest of our evening at the beach was fun. We had an amazing bonfire, used with smuggled library books, and returned papers and homework. It was pretty darn satisfying to see a paper you absolutely despised writing burning in the flames. At around 9:30, we all piled into the van again, and began our drive home.

On the way home, the van was relatively quiet. Everyone was worn out from the intense swimming and bonfire making action. I felt myself drifting off to sleep, and pretty soon we were back at the school. I climbed tiredly out of the car with Namine, and we said goodbye to everyone, and began walking back to our dorm.

At the side of our dorm, I heard voices coming from a small corner behind a bunch of bushes. "What is it?" Namine asked when I froze. "I hear voices," I whispered, as I creeped closer. I could be a pretty awesome ninja if I wanted to be. "Well whatever, I'm gonna head back to the dorm," Namine said. I nodded and she walked away. I steadily crept closer to the voices.

"Sora! Are you crazy! She ruined your life!" I heard a female voice exclaim. I peered over the bushes to see Yuffie standing in front of an uncomfortable looking Sora.

"Yuffie…its not worth getting all upset over," Sora said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Oh come ON Sora. You're not going to let something that BITCH did keep you from going home to see your father. I'm sure he understands her stupidity and need to butt into people's business!" Yuffie cried, as she got close to Sora, making their height difference apparent.

"Yeah. Whatever," Sora replied, walking away quickly. I watched Yuffie stand in rage where he had left her, and she began stomping in the other direction, correction, MY direction. I hurriedly crouched down, attempting to hide myself from her, but my attempts were in vain. Yuffie instantly spotted me.

"What do you think you're doing, bitch?" she asked harshly as she peered down at me. I gulped at her angry face. Oooo crap. "I heard you two talking, and I didn't want to interrupt," I replied nervously. Ok, that's a pretty good lie I guess. Maybe she will buy it.

No way. "Liar!" she screeched. "Why don't you just stay out of our business, ok! Nobody wants you here, so why don't you just LEAVE," she exclaimed, her face bright red. I felt my anger rising.

"What did I do to you! I mean come on. I'm new here, I have no idea what is going on, and I have done nothing to bother you, except breath!" I spat back, before walking away. "Yeah, that's right. Walk away bitch. You will regret this."

I shook my head angrily as I continued walking down the sidewalk. That little bitch wasn't going to scare me. I made it to my dorm without any more events, and climbed right into bed.

By Monday, I had finally finished my boatload of homework, and managed to avoid Yuffie. Actually, I hadn't seen her anywhere. Weird. Wait a minute! I don't care where Yuffie is. She could be dead in a ditch somewhere for all I care. Well…maybe not. That's harsh and morbid.

I collapsed into my desk at first period, before laying my head on the table. It was unusually quiet in the room, and everyone seemed to either be cramming in homework, or whispering amongst each other. I glanced over to my right to see Yuffie talking with Rinoa, who was grinning evilly and glancing in my direction. Suspicious. Very suspicious.

The period went on without any excitement, and finally the blessed bell rang. I dashed out of the room quickly, and went straight to my locker. Grabbing my gym clothes, I headed to the locker rooms, checking my bag to see that there was a gym lock still there. There was no way I was letting Yuffie get to my school clothes so easily this time.

When I reached the locker room, I saw Namine standing there angrily. I walked over, and stood in front of her. "What's wrong?" I asked. She glared viciously at me, before turning quickly, and walking away. Woa. What the heck was wrong with her?

I quickly walked over to Aeris, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and seeing me, her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with Namine?" I asked her. Aeris rolled her eyes, something that was uncommon for her.

"Maybe your little hate letter would be a clue," she said harshly, before walking away. My what? A hate letter? I got changed quickly, and walked out into the gym. I saw various people who I assumed were my friends glare at me and turn away, whispering amongst themselves. What was going on!

After gym, I made my way quickly to the cafeteria, and as I walked through the door, most of the crowded place went quiet. Almost everyone turned to look at me, some shooting those evil glares, others just shaking their heads. I began walking down the middle aisle, eyes following me the whole way. As I grew closer to my usual table, I felt myself getting increasingly nervous.

When I reached the table, everyone turned away from me, and ignored me completely. Feeling hurt, I made my way to a lonely table in the corner. I sat down, facing away from the cafe. What was going on? What had I done? I fought back tears that threatened to fall down my face. Where had I gone wrong?


	8. Chapter 8

im baccckkkk! ok so i had some inspiration and decided to continue this lovely(well not really) story, so here you go!

"Uhhnnnnn," I groaned as I rolled over in my bed. Thanks to all the crap going on, I now had the biggest stress headache ever. My mind scrambled for an answer to this madness. What was the hate letter? I don't remember writing a letter to anyone, especially not a malicious one! Ahhh. I need to go for a run. Yeah, a run. To burn off the bazillion calories I've shoveled in my system out of the Ben and Jerry's conveniently located in the refrigerator.

I pulled on my socks and sneakers in a flourish, then crept into the empty hallway. After the lunch episode, I had escaped back to my room. It was probably about 5th period by now. Plenty of time to run, shower, and then head to the nurse for Aspirin before the hate squad got back to the room. I made a beeline for the woods as soon as I was outside, careful not to pass by any classroom windows.

While I ran, I wracked my brain with questions. 'Why did Namine think I wrote a hate letter about her?' 'What did the hate letter say?' 'Who framed me!' 'And, why does Yuffie hate Namine so much?' Then it donned on me.

"AHA!" I shouted triumphantly in the middle of the woods, jabbing my arm in the air. Yuffie must have set me up after she caught me eaves dropping on her and Sora last night. So now I have to convince Namine and Aerith that somehow I was set up… but that still doesn't explain why Yuffie hates Namine so much! So confused.

I found myself at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the school. From here, it looked so peaceful and serene, with it's huge brick buildings and lush green lawn. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes behind me. I turned quickly, only to come face to face with Sora.

"What are you doing here!" we both exclaimed. Sora gave a small smile before coming to stand beside me. "I couldn't focus in class. So I did what always calms me down, running. Why are you here?" he asked, looking at me questioningly. "Getting away from the drama your cousin created," I said angrily. Sora sighed, before sitting down on the grass. "She's a little psycho. She gets upset really easily, don't take it personally."

"Don't take it personally? Don't take it PERSONALLY! Sora, she pretty much turned the whole school against me, just for accidentally overhearing a conversation you guys had last night. It's not my fault she couldn't keep her huge mouth—""You heard us last night?" Sora cut in sharply, looking at me. "Well, not really. I just heard her say something about Namine ruining your life," I responded carefully. Sora sighed, before picking up a rock and chucking it over the cliff. He then got up, and began walking away.

"Whatever. Forget what you heard last night," he muttered as he stormed away. "Wait a minute! You can't just storm off! Its not my fault you have some crap going on in your life, so don't treat _me_ like the bad guy. My school career was pretty much just ruined by your controlling cousin, and you just tell me to forget about it?" I raged. Sora turned around. "Who do you think you are? You come to this school and expect to be treated like a princess. Your big plans get ruined, big deal. Some people have more important things to worry about than their social life. Yeah, Yuffie is a bitch. Deal with it, princess," he said before stalking off.

I stared at him in shock. Excuse me! Who is he to tell me off like that? "Sora, you might be too wrapped up in your own sufferings to see this, but I'm going through stuff much worse than some popularity. I came here to get away from that, and I don't appreciate being treated like a royal snob!" I shouted at his retreating back. URGH! I stormed off down the opposite path, and when I reached the school, I proceeded to go straight to the room, and lay down on the bed in a huff.

"Ms Kairi?" came a timid voice from the door. "Mmff," I muttered, as I heard the door open. "Ms Kairi, you have an important memo," said the secretary standing in the room, before handing me a thick envelope. It was from my dad. "Thanks," I said, before taking it. Once the secretary was gone, I ripped the envelope open.

_Hello Kairi,_

_I'm sending this to inform you that your older brother, Squall, has died in a car accident. You will be remaining at the school for the rest of your high school career, and for all holidays, as your mother and I are to stricken with grief to manage you. Your brother was our pride and joy, and we strongly encourage you to live up to his name. Make us proud._

_Your father, Seymour._

I stared at the memo in disbelief. Squall, though the favorite in the family by any means, was not only my brother, but my best friend. He always stood up for me when my "parents" turned me away, and he had actively fought against me getting sent away. And now he was gone forever. I felt tears pour down my face and I let the memo fall to the ground. At the sound of voices at the door, I laid down in bed and pulled the blankets over my head.

The door opened to Namine's cheerful voice, and Aerith's happy laugh. They both silenced when they saw me in bed. Namine whispered something to Aerith, and they both stalked to their beds in silence. "Where were you in History, Kairi?" Namine asked snidely. When I didn't answer, she let out a small huff before saying to Aerith, "Come on. I don't want to be in the same room with this backstabber." Backstabber! EXCUSE ME?

I sat up in bed, the tears still plainly evident on my face. "You know what Namine, I think it's kind of pathetic that you actually think I wrote some random hate letter about you, when you know me so well. It hurts that you think I'm capable of doing that. When you stop talking badly to me and about me, maybe then you will see that you, not me, are the backstabber. And for your information, I've just lost apparently the only real friend I have, so I would appreciate it if you laid off with the high school drama."

With that, I stormed past them with their shocked faces, down the stairs and out onto the lawn. Once I was by a bench, I broke down, sobbing hysterically. It just wasn't fair. It seemed as though nobody loved me at home, or anywhere else I went. Why couldn't I do something right! Screw Namine, screw my parents, screw Sora! I don't need them!

Who was I kidding? I was a complete mess and I knew it. I curled up on the bench and covered my face with my sweater, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Kairi? Kairi?" an annoying voice broke through my pathetic dream about shoes and jellybeans. "Whaaa?" I moaned, before opening my eyes dazedly. In front of me knelt Riku, with his oh so gorgeous eyes and hair and bone structure and HOLY CRAP! I looked like shit. I sat up quickly, and my hands immediately flew to my tangled hair and smeared mascara. Fabulous.

"Are you okay?" He asked while peering at me. "I'm just peachy. Really," I said sarcastically, before pulling my hair into a messy bun. "Well, you were asleep on a bench," he smirked, "I figured something must have been up." "Oh its all great. My roommates hate me for some unknown reason, my parents have disowned me, and my brother just died. Its pretty fucking fabulous, Riku, let me tell you," I said, my voice trembling violently. Riku looked at me expectantly, before I completely broke down. Great, not only am I a wimp, but I'm a wimp in front of the school's single hottest male, EVER. Greeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaat. I felt Riku's arms around my shoulders, and I leaned in, sobbing into his chest. "Come on," He said, before helping me stand, "Let's go inside."

Apparently inside was the lobby of Riku's dorm, scattered with comfy sofas and guys lounging around in sweats with bottles of coke. I flopped down on the couch, only to realize that the opposite couch was playing home to the butt of none other than my new arch enemy, Sora. He was flipping through a magazine, and didn't even look up when me and Riku came in. Riku came over and handed me a soda, and only then did Sora look up. When he saw me he glared, but then his face softened at the sight of my pathetic ness. He glanced at Riku, who did some weird hand signal thingy and Sora looked back at me before getting up and trudging to the elevator with his magazine.

"Thanks Riku," I said pathetically. "No problem, kid. You like Halo 2?"

I loved Halo 2.


	9. Chapter 9

_woohooo!!!! first update in i dont know how long, sorry about that haha. i started re-reading all of the reviews, and realized i was doing to other poeple what so many authors were doing to me, not updating!! so here it is, chapter nine. next chapter i might (might) reveal the whole namine/sora/yuffie secret. and yes, i do know what it is hahahah, for once, i am not mking my plot up on a whim. this is actually kind of based on real life experiences.. _

_thanks to everyone that reviewed!!!_

"AHA! SUCKERRRRR!!!!" I jumped triumphantly up from the couch, my controller held high in the air. Riku slumped back onto the couch, burying his head in his hands. I continued my little dance of glee, parading around the dorm area.

"That's the 4th time! How is that possible?" Riku said to his controller, before throwing the offending item down in disgust. I cackled maliciously, before plopping down on the couch next to him. He glared at me out of the corner of his eye.

"How did you get so good?" Riku scanned me for some sort of reasoning for my amazing ness at Halo 2, and I smirked. "My older brother and I---," I stopped short, and closed my eyes as a pang of hurt ran through my body. Riku sensed my sadness, and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him, before standing up.

"I probably should get going," I managed, before turning away. "Oh, and thanks." Riku nodded, and flashed me his million, no make that BAJILLION, dollar smile. I resisted the urge to melt into a Kairi puddle on the floor, and stumbled out of the dorm. The pathways were slippery and glowing from the recent rain, and I carefully picked my way around the puddles. As I rounded the corner, though, I found myself face to face with the one person I really didn't want to see right then. I'll give you one guess.

He was leaning against the wall, his cell phone pressed against his ear, and a frown on his face. "No! Dad, stop…. No! Why the hell would I get a job to pay for _your_ beer money? Here's an idea, get your own job!….No. No…….Yeah, Yuffie's fine, I have to go, Dad… No. Bye." He clicked the phone shut just as I came into his view. _Ok, Kairi, just keep your head held high, and don't even look at him. NO! STOP LOOKING._ In the midst of arguing with my brain, I managed to catch a crack in the sidewalk, and found myself face planting on the ground. Smoooooooooth. I pulled myself up and stood purposefully in front of Sora, still avoiding eye contact, before continuing on.

I was almost there, almost around the corner, when I felt myself flinging forward again, but this time catching myself. REALLY?! My back went rigid when I heard a quiet snickering from behind me. I turned around against my own will, and saw Sora still standing there, his dark brown locks falling in glowing blue eyes, eyes that were directed at me. Oh god.

I mustered up my best Stop-looking-at-me-its-not-like-you-have-never-tripped-twice-in-2-seconds-before stare before stomping off. I hate my life.

As soon as I opened the door to my room, I was attacked by a mass of blonde hair in a pair of boy boxers and sweatshirt. "KAIRI!" Namine hugged me tightly, pulling my flustered self into the room and slamming the door.

"I am so sorry, so sorry about everything," she said, still hugging me. Wait, what? I pulled away from her with a look of distrust on my face. "Why? Why are you all of a sudden coming around?" I asked, my suspicion evident. She guiltily lowered her bright blue eyes, picking at the carpet with her toe.

"Well?" I pressed, becoming annoying. "I kinda…. Found that memo about your brother, and then I was going to go find you and I overheard Yuffie talking to some of her friends about the note, and how she figured you would transfer schools in no time…" She trailed off, glancing up at me.

"Not like I would be able to transfer anyway.." Suddenly my vision swam, and I shook my head. I couldn't cry, not in front of Namine. She didn't need to see me sad, nobody did. My whole life I lived in a family that suffered, and I hated it. I didn't want to put my own friends through it. So I just held it in.

I flashed a brave smile at Namine, and she looked relieved. "So are we cool?" I asked, and she nodded. "Hey! I have an idea! Tonight Riku and Sora's band are playing at this little club a few blocks away. Want to go see them?" She asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

Hot boys, cramped space, loud music… I could go for a little of that right now. I nodded excitedly, and allowed Namine to pull me out of the dorm. We half walked half jogged to the club. It was decorated in dollar store Christmas lights and a shabby sign that looked like it was done by a two year old. The inside was considerably more impressive. There were a lot of kids from school milling around, some with water(it was an under 18 club) and others waiting anxiously by the stage for the band. Namine and I pushed our way to the front of the stage, where Roxas was busy setting up his drums.

"Hey Roxas!" I shouted over the noise. He looked up through his blonde bangs and grinned, waving his drumsticks enthusiastically. Just then, Riku, Sora, and an older blonde I recognized as Cloud from school, piled onto the stage. Sora pulled his black guitar strap over his head, and nodded at Roxas. Riku was flashing a grin at some people from the audience, his silver bass gleaming in the lights. Cloud stood idly on the side of the stage with his red guitar, staring out into the excited audience.

"Hello everyone!" Sora spoke through the microphone, flashing a grin. The crowd cheered, me and Namine cheering the loudest. Hey, just because Sora had pissed me off more than I could handle, I could still cheer Riku and Roxas on….even if my eyes were glued to Sora the whole time. His….guitar looked cool. Yeah, that's it. Shut up.

"We are the Darkness Falls. Are you ready for a fun night?" he asked, his eyes glinting. The crowd responded with impatient cheers, and Sora glanced back at his band before starting up the first song.

Heavy guitar filled my ears, accompanied by an irresistibly smooth and husky voice, and I found my eyes glued to Sora, completely entranced.

_I've been changin' but you'll never see me now  
(I've been changin' but you'll never see me now)  
Now I'm blaming you for everything _

No more holding it in  
How many years can I pretend  
Nothing never goes the way it should  
No more sitting in this place  
Hoping you might see it my way  
Cause I don't think you ever understood  
That what I'm looking for are the answers  
To why these questions never go away

Sora had his eyes closed, and rocked into the microphone, completely engrossed in his music, his voice carrying through the crowded club.

_I'm so far away  
I've been changin' but you'll never see me now  
I'm so far away  
Now I'm blaming you for everything _

No more waiting for the end  
Of every day that I will spend  
Wishing that I only had a choice  
No more pushing you away  
Cause I will be busy watching things going my way  
Never looking back on this anymore  
Because what I'm looking for are the answers  
To why these questions never go away

The band finished the song with a strong note that echoed through the room, and Sora opened his eyes and smiled at the screaming crowd. I cheered right along with them. The band played a few more songs, and then gave the stage to a pair of nervous looking girls who used they're "punk" attitudes and slutty clothes to capture the male portion of the audience. Namine and I, however, found our way behind the curtain.

"Nice job guys!" Namine exclaimed, hugging them each. Roxas beamed and Riku smirked, while Cloud gave a half shoulder shrug. Sora was once again on the phone in the corner of the small room, his shoulders hunched in aggravation. I gave Roxas an extreme high five (as he called it) and ruffled Riku's hair.

"I was worried for a second there. It would have been awful if your music skills matched your Halo skills," I grinned as he gave me a mock glare. I turned back to Sora to see him tossing (more like chucking) his stuff into his guitar bag, before turning to us.

"I have to run. Nice jobs tonight guys, I'll see you later," he said, before storming off. "What is up with him?" I asked. Riku shook his head, sighing, and Namine suddenly became fascinated with her shoe. I glanced over to where Sora was once standing, and spotted a notebook stuffed with papers, the front of it bearing the message **Sora** in thick permanent marker. I picked it up, and held it up to Riku.

"Sora left this," I said, waving the notebook in his face. He glanced at it before sighing again, this time aggravated. "He's going to need that. I guess I'll go find him…"

"No. It's okay. I'll bring it to him. I need to be getting back anyway, I have a ton of homework," I said, before making a dash for the door.

Out on the street, I glanced around before spotting Sora's tall, spiky head under a light. I jogged to catch up with him.

"Sora! You forgot this," I said, somewhat breathless, when I reached him. He glanced at me sideways with a slight glare on his face, before spotting the notebook. He snatched it, mumbling a quick thank-you, before starting off again. I sped up to walk next to him, my eyes following the sidewalk.

"Is there something you want?" he asked suddenly, stopping to face me. His blue eyes bore into my own, and I fought the blush rising to my face. His skin was so smooth… and his bangs fell in his eyes in the most adorable way.. wait! Stop! I hate this guy. Absolutely 100 hate him. That doesn't stop him from being 100 gorgeous. I shook my head to rid the thoughts, before frowning.

"Is it a crime to walk back to the dorm?" I asked, my temper rising. He glanced at me before shrugging, and continuing on. We walked in silence for a few awkward moments.

"You guys were awesome tonight.." I said, still looking at the ground. "Thanks." Well, so much for that conversation. I sighed, before running a hand through my hair, irritated. Why was he such a jerk? I just didn't understand it.

"Why are you such a jerk?" Crap, did I just say that out loud? Sora stopped short, glaring at me again. Heaven save me. I glared straight back at him, my hands on my hips stubbornly.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" he spat. That does it. "Excuse me? Since I've gotten here, you have been nothing but rude to me. I haven't done anything to you except get on your cousin's bad side, which I'm not even sure how I did. It's not my fault that things aren't going peachy in your family, so don't you dare take it out on me."

We had a staring contest for a few more moments, before Sora began walking again. "You don't know anything about family problems."

"Excuse me?" I grabbed his arm, whipping him around to face me. "Where the heck do you get off saying that? You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through. I have my own problems at home, and all I was trying to do was find a place for myself here, since obviously I don't have one at home. And now that my brother is gone, I'm pretty much stuck here for the rest of school; so let's get one thing straight. Don't you dare tell me I don't know anything about family problems, when they are what got me here in the first place."

I turned away from him then, and began walking away quickly, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. Stupid family, stupid Sora, stupid school. Suddenly, a strong hand wrapped around my arm, stopping my power walking breakdown. Sora's voice caused shudders to run up my spine as he whispered in my ear, "I would let you go off and have your tantrum, but you're going the wrong way. And pretty soon you'll be sharing the sidewalk with prostitutes and child molesters."

I blushed, pulling away from him. I looked at his guitar, the café behind him, his black shoes, anywhere but his face. Eventually, I brought my eyes to his, and suddenly the azure was swimming in my vision, and the tears coming down faster than I could handle. I just stood there, crying my eyes out in front of the kid I was supposed to hate, in the middle of a town I never wanted to be in, over something that wasn't supposed to happen until I was old.

Warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me close, a comforting hand leading me to a small alley where I sank down against the wall. When I was done ending dehydration for all the ants, I wiped my eyes, and buried my face in Sora's shirt.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, my voice muffled by the soft fabric. I barely missed his low voice, "Me too."


End file.
